WHY DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A PLANNER???

Hi Christian,

It is the best work to do.

It helps sharpen logic.

And planning exposure will greatly assist in the advancement of carreers in project management.

IMHO,


Charlie

How about??

Those who can --------MANAGE
Those who cant--------PLAN

Isn’t it the opposite?

Those who can...plan

Those who can’t...manage (or try to and, as a result, stuff-up the plan in the process - so those who think they can plan can always blame the PM when the plan goes to moo-poo)

Hello to All PP

I want to become a planner because it is the natural things to do:

I plan the life I wanted to be (carreer planners)

I plan my study time during colleages (study plan)

I plan how to excel in all types of test (testing plan)

I plan how to conquer the girsl and get the girl sweet yes 1-4-3 (means I LOVE YOU) - (girl relationship plan)

I plan my wedding (wedding planner)

I plan my family including the number of kids, when to make ?!^%(family planning)

I plan my expenditures, cash-in/cash out, cash flow (financial planning)

I plan my vacation (vacation planning)

I plan how to survive in this harsh environment (environmental planning)

I will populate this thread, it is good to know planning exist as long as homo sapiens - human live.

Cheers,

Charlie

Hi James,

Sorry to disagree with you but planning is an integral part of managing. The manager who can’t plan, can’t manage it really is that basic.

Louis Allen says that management consists of four functions, Planning, Organising, Leading and Controlling. Henri Fayol says five, Planning, Organising, Coordinating, Commanding and Controlling. But that’s just by-the-by.

You switched Andrew’s original proposition round, so I’m guessing that at some time you’ve come across a manager or managers who couldn’t plan the proverbial booze-up in a brewery. If that’s the case, how good was he or she at the other management functions? Again I’m guessing, but probably not much use at any of them, so that person wasn’t really a manager at all.

If we now take a look at our planner, it’s obvious from the name that they plan, using information which they have to collate and organise, providing a lead to the people who supply them with that information and controlling the issue of plans, schedules, feedback etc..

Suddenly we find that, as far as information is concerned, our planner isn’t just planning, but organising, leading and controlling as well. The planner must in some respects be a manager, just as the manager must in some respects be a planner.

A bit simplistic maybe, but basically correct I think.

Chris Oggham

Why?

1)Because you end up close to the sharp end, with few of the risks .... Many PM’s are let go because of their (and their teams) failings, few planners are.
2) Because you get to use your experience and influence the progress of the project.
3) Because you don’t want to / can’t drive / lead / command others ie you are not a PM in the making.

If we’re just aiming for the higher ground why choose this path? there are many ways to do it... its like saying why settle for a sedan when you can have a 4x4?

It only happened by chance. I started drafting bar charts manually for a Planner and I thought i know planning already.

When I applied for another job in an agency, the only vacant slot is for the Planner / Scheduler. Luck brings me in because it happens that the interviewer is not really a Planner. I draw a beautiful bar chart in front of him (which I never understand at that time) and thats it!

But until now I never felt like I was one.

In my case, it’s a combination of destiny, practicality and hunger for knowledge.

Destiny because just like Anoon, I have been working as a site engineer when my company decided to assign me in the Project Control Department. I didn’t complain, why should I.

Practicality, our company was one of the few companies in my country who purchased the first network version of Primavera 1.1. At that time, I’ve been hearing that knowing Primavera is a sure money in the construction industry. Is it?

Hunger for knowledge, what other staff position that you know of that will compel you to learn as much information than planning(IMHO). In planning you will think the way construction people think. You will think the way your contracts manager think and same with your project manager. At the end of the day, you will learn a lot of things from different people on different perspectives without going to a Masteral course in construction/project management.

If you reach this point, then it’s up to you if you wanna go further up to the next level.

Cheers,

Se

for the drugs and the groupies

...and here’s me labouring under the evident, misapprehension that "groupies" were things that one did with the activities in P3.

James,

You’re most likely right, but what are the drugs likely to be? Tranquilisers? Super-strength tablets for severe headaches and migraine? Anti-nausea pills?

I think the "drugs" element is the EV data. CPI and SPI less than 1.00 = Barbiturates (downer) - greater than 1.00 = Acid (hallucinogen). Dunno what values induce paranoid schizophrenia!!!!!

"Its b***dy shocking" ... so’s your arithmetic

2K per week with - C2HM / Parsons Brinkerhof / whoever, is nice money, well done Brad, any vacancies back in UK?

or even better $800 a day as a consultant!!

They’re always looking in Albert in the tar sands anywhere from $60.00 to $95.00/hr plus $3,000.00 to $5,000.00 LOA.

need a job badly